KIDS NationaI Development Department has produced a wealth of material over the past 10 years, however as governments, initiatives and policy changes, some of the archive material has become dated and may not reflect current practice.

In the first instance, if you are seeking up to date information, please visit the KIDS website where some resources are still free to download: www.kids.org.uk/publications

If you are seeking archive material from the Playwork Inclusion Project, or the Mainstreaming Inclusion Project, you can find them all accessible in the blogposts below along with a very brief introduction to Lady Allen, an inspirational figure whose legacy informed the work of the National Development Department.

Additional useful resources are also linked below. All are free to download and use as you wish, however it is essential you acknowledge KIDS if you reference them. Always visit the KIDS website for the most up to date information regarding contact details: www.kids.org.uk

In 2013, KIDS conducted a survey of playwork professionals, local authorities and parents and carers of disabled children to assess the state of free inclusive play provision across England. Over 900 people responded and the findings were recorded in this report which was released to coincide with Playday: KIDS playday survey report 2013

In 2011, KIDS conducted a literature review into work published relating to disabled children, inclusion and play. The results of this research can be found here: KIDS literature review_Inclusive Play

We hope you find these resources useful. Our aim within the National Development Department was to provide a variety of information to support the argument for inclusive, adventurous play and leisure for all children and young people, disabled and non-disabled, so that they could build strong friendships and be active participants in their communities.

“All children need a place to play. They need space, informality and freedom. Disabled children need this freedom even more than others. In surroundings which stimulate their imagination, and challenge them to face and overcome risks. Disabled children need a world where they belong, where they can play and escape with their mates.”

Lady Allen of Hurtwood

KIDS National Development Department was formerly part of Kidsactive which merged with KIDS in 2003. Kidsactive promoted inclusive play through training, information and publications, and ran six adventure playgrounds in London.

Kidsactive (previously known as HAPA) was founded in 1966 by Lady Allen of Hurtwood, one of the pioneers in the field of adventure play.

Marjory Allen, (10 May 1897 – 11 April 1976), was an English landscape architect and promoter of child welfare.

In 1921 she married Clifford Allen, a leading member of the Independent Labour Party who had been imprisoned as a conscientious objector in World War I. Marjory Allen worked as a landscape architect throughout the 1920s and 1930s and was elected the first fellow of the Institute of Landscape Architects in 1930.

Clifford died in 1939, and Lady Allen threw herself into her work, also becoming interested in the welfare of children. Her campaigning for children in institutional care led to the passing of the Children Act 1948. She was chairman (1942–1948) and president (1948–1951) of the Nursery School Association of Great Britain, founder president of the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education, a member of the Central Advisory Council for Education (1945–1949), and chairman of the Advisory Council on Children’s Entertainment Films (1944–1950). After World War II she served as a liaison officer with UNICEF in Europe and the Middle East.

She campaigned for facilities for children growing up in the new high-rise developments in Britain’s cities and wrote a series of illustrated books on the subject of playgrounds, and adventure playgrounds, spaces for free creativity by children, which helped the idea spread worldwide.

There are many resources on the web which promote Lady Allen’s work and provide a legacy of her fight for disabled and non-disabled children to have the right to play together freely. Here are just a few.

Lady Allen of Hurtwood Memorial Trust – www.ladyallentrust.org
The Trust exists to encourage and promote the welfare and education of young children and their families, particularly those who are disabled or deprived and to continue work that is in the spirit of enterprise inspired by Lady Allen.
Applications are invited from candidates with a scheduled travel project in mind. They must offer full details of how the award will help them to gain specific knowledge and experience, which will enhance the quality and nature of their work with young children and their families.

Planning for Play (Lady Allen of Hurtwood, 1968) – www.play-scapes.com
This seminal work is now available as a downloadable pdf courtesy of Playscapes.

Adventure Play. Early Pioneers – www.adventureplay.org.uk
In considering Lady Marjory Allen’s lifetime, one realises that it would take most people numerous lifetimes to accomplish even a proportion of her achievements, a few are listed here with links to other archives.

Video footage of Lady Allen – http://rethinkingchildhood.comUploaded by London Play, and blogged by Rethinking Childhood. This video focuses on the staffed adventure playgrounds Lady Allen created in the 1960s and 1970s to provide play opportunities for disabled children.

‘children are more complicated than kettles’ the life and work of Lady Allen of Hurtwood – http://theinternationale.com
A personal account from a Playworker, brings vividly to life the work of Lady Allen.

University of Warwick. Records of Lady Allen of Hurtwood – www2.warwick.ac.uk
The Modern Records Centre lists all the material they hold relating to Lady Allen.

Play Wales “Better a broken bone than a broken spirit” – www.playwales.org.uk
A specially commissioned t-shirt celebrating children’s right to play is available from Play Wales, the quote is attributed to Lady Allen.

To support ‘Hello, the national year of Communication’ the focus of this Playwork Inclusion Project briefing is communication with disabled children and young people.

This briefing outlines some of the barriers to communication that exist and the variety of tools that can be used in order to support communication with all children, as well as highlighting some methods that promote better communication for all.

This document is from 2011, so please be aware that many details, including policy initiatives, legislation and contact information will now be out of date.

This Playwork Inclusion Project (PIP) briefing looks at myths based on the inclusion of disabled children in play settings and services – this was the theme of the PIP regional seminars held in Spring 2010.

In this briefing we outline some of the myths that were raised by the attendees at the seminars, and summarise some of the underlying principles of inclusion and the key recommendations that emerged from discussions.

This document is from 2011, so please be aware that many details, including policy initiatives, legislation and contact information will now be out of date.

This Playwork Inclusion Project (PIP) briefing examines the impact that the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is having on the inclusion of disabled children in play settings and services – the theme of the PIP regional seminars held in autumn 2009. We outline some of the challenges and concerns that were raised, highlight some examples of good practice and summarise the key recommendations that emerged from the seminars.

This document is from 2010, so please be aware that many details, including policy initiatives, legislation and contact information will now be out of date.

The health benefits of play and physical activity for disabled children and young people

This KIDS briefing intends to raise awareness of the vital role of play and physical activity in promoting disabled children and young people’s health and wellbeing.

It examines the health benefits of play, the national policy context, and the additional barriers disabled children and young people face in accessing play, sport and leisure opportunities. It also includes case studies, key recommendations for policy makers and a list of useful resources.

This document is from 2009, so please be aware that many details, including policy initiatives, legislation and contact information will now be out of date.

I have a right to play out too! – Celebrating outdoor play for disabled children

This PIP briefing celebrates outdoor play for disabled children. It is being published alongside a more in-depth KIDS briefing looking at the wider issues around play and health. This PIP briefing focuses on practical examples and case studies of disabled children and young people accessing outdoor play drawn from the PIP seminars and National Inclusive Play Network members.

This document is from 2009, so please be aware that many details, including policy initiatives, legislation and contact information will now be out of date.